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Post by mnjrutherford on Aug 8, 2011 10:43:57 GMT -5
Those are some amazing colorations Joseph. I got an ear of your popcorn that had purple husk. Beautiful stuff. Wish I knew a doll maker!
Sorry bout your hungry deer Darth. =o(
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Post by DarJones on Aug 8, 2011 13:04:10 GMT -5
I'm considering sending a pack of wolves to visit Darth's deer feeding grounds.
Darth will know the significance of this statement.
DarJones
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Post by Darth Slater on Aug 8, 2011 21:40:39 GMT -5
Send em, the more the merrier. Being of the wolf clan Lakota, I am sure they will also need a leader.
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Post by Darth Slater on Aug 9, 2011 16:33:45 GMT -5
Here is my partner for P.K.S standing in front of Josephs SE X Blue Hopi Corn. This stuff has a very sweet flavor and in this field only recieved rain water with no care at all except till between the rows.  |
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Post by Darth Slater on Aug 9, 2011 16:48:35 GMT -5
Here is my Mom holding an ear thats going to be cooked for dinner.  |
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Post by Darth Slater on Aug 9, 2011 16:55:25 GMT -5
Here is what I saved from the deer, AD. These tasted pretty good also, but I only ate the ones with yellow and white kernels. The AD compared to The Blue hopi didn't do so well in the same conditions.  |
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Post by 12540dumont on Aug 9, 2011 18:59:32 GMT -5
Wow! Nice corn.
Dar, Can you send me a wolf pack too? They can play with those lousy pigs who are tearing up the apple trees. Yesterday they hit the neighbor's French Prunes and Santa Rosa Plums. Joseph, beautiful beautiful colors. Holly
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Post by Darth Slater on Aug 9, 2011 19:13:42 GMT -5
Holly, you only need one wolf...just send me the plane ticket and I will bring the bow!! It would save money on shipping a pack there!!
I have a 100% Kill rating...mmmmm...pork chops!!
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Post by mnjrutherford on Aug 12, 2011 7:54:03 GMT -5
LOL There ya go Holly, HOW can you POSSIBLY refuse an offer like that!!!!
I'm willing to bet your mom is tickled pink with your corn Darth.
Dar... were ya gettin' the wolves from? ;o)
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Post by 12540dumont on Aug 12, 2011 10:28:49 GMT -5
Darth, Okay I saw the beast and she's as big as love seat. Think big leather love seat. She's one ugly critter. I keep having nightmares about godzilla the pig in the garden.
Honestly, if she and her brood make it through the new electric fence, you've got yourself a plane ticket.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Aug 12, 2011 11:13:56 GMT -5
Well the deer got my ADs. Darth, I'm no expert, but did grow Alan's corn this year. My plot was too small, so I'll have to recombine what I have from this years seed with last years (from Alan), and prolly some new boughten if its offered. Unlike the hopi you liked, it has a wide collection of parentage, so its more than a little variable from plant to plant. Taste was good when cooked directly after picking. I dunno how may grow outs it'll take to get a more uniform corn. The short answer is maybe never. Still I am content with this years crop. I plan to regrow this corn, and will make bigger plantings as I am able. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 12, 2011 11:54:19 GMT -5
I never thought I'd be writing this....
Astronomy Domine is the most variable sweet corn commonly available today. It is mostly derived from the Northern Flint race of corn, a race with low levels of genetic diversity. Additionally, most of the parent lines were inbred varieties. Traits include: Mostly non-tillering. All stiff-stalk. All cylindrical cobs. Mostly medium sized kernels. The kernels all adhere equally strongly to the cob. In short, Astronomy Domine is a traditional New England sweet corn with added colors, and with the relatively low diversity typical of the northern flint race from which it is derived.
The "Hopi Blue Flour Corn" that I crossed to get Darth's seed has been commercialized and inbred so it was also quite uniform.
However...
The other Hopi corns that I grew were much more variable: Hopi Pink flour, and Anasazi sweet. These come from the Mexican Highlands race of corn, and being closer geographically to the center of diversity of corn, and not having been commercialized, they are much more variable. I am currently working on projects to incorporate genes from the Mexican Highlands race and the Andean race into Astronomy Domine.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Aug 12, 2011 12:21:15 GMT -5
Just what does "low levels of genetic diversity" mean? Haven't there been numerous crossings over the past few years? Is this situation good, bad, or sideways? Where should this go?
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 12, 2011 14:19:42 GMT -5
Just what does "low levels of genetic diversity" mean? Haven't there been numerous crossings over the past few years? Is this situation good, bad, or sideways? Where should this go? It is believed that corn originated in southern Mexico. Then someone took a small sample of it, and moved north a little bit say to central Mexico. Because they didn't move the whole population some of the diversity got left in Southern Mexico. That happened over and over again as corn moved north from Mexico and East to New England. Each time it moved it carried with it a little less of the genetic diversity which it originally contained in Southern Mexico. By the time it reached the Iroquois nations in New England and had been selected for the sweet corn trait, much of the original genetic diversity had been lost. Beginning about 60 years ago the Europeans further narrowed the genetic base by intense inbreeding. The good thing about the intense inbreeding is that the corn is more suitable for machine harvest, and is higher yielding. It is however more susceptible (as a population) to stress from bugs, climate, soil, low-fertility, or cultural practices. By incorporating the lost genetic material back into Astronomy Domine, there is the potential to identify new traits that may prove more useful than the traits it currently has. Re-adding diversity also makes it more likely for the crop to survive new pests, new diseases, unpredictable weather, etc... Astronomy Domine has effectively undone the intense intentional inbreeding that the European's introduced, but so far it has only got a good beginning on undoing the inadvertent narrowing of the genetic base which it inherited from the Iroquis, and from all the tribes between New England and Southern Mexico. The inclusion of "Rainbow Inca" and "Pink Hopi" into the Astronomy Domine family history are examples of adding genetic diversity from outside the northern flint race of corn. It is my intention to continue that tradition. With today's instant communications, and quick shipping, it is easier than ever to re-introduce the lost cousins back into the Astronomy Domine landrace of sweet corn. The other low-diversity race of corn is the Andean race, which moved south from Mexico into Argentina. It is the least like the northern flints, so it's my intention to identify Andean corn families and introduce them into Astronomy Domine. I'm also intending to introduce more genes from the Mexican highlands race: The posoles, the Hopi-corns, the Oaxacan corns. The Oaxacan corns are troublesome to me because they are day-length-sensitive. |
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Post by Alan on Aug 12, 2011 14:47:39 GMT -5
Joseph, while you are mostly correct about the parentage of Astronomy Domine I should point out that in fact there are tons of genetics from Cocopah, Paiute, Anasazi, Hopi Pink, Rainbow Inca and pretty much anything that Native Seeds Search has had available in sweet corn diversity over the past six years , of course it could be moved more in the direction of those genetics if one so chooses. I never thought I'd be writing this.... Astronomy Domine is the most variable sweet corn commonly available today. It is mostly derived from the Northern Flint race of corn, a race with low levels of genetic diversity. Additionally, most of the parent lines were inbred varieties. Traits include: Mostly non-tillering. All stiff-stalk. All cylindrical cobs. Mostly medium sized kernels. The kernels all adhere equally strongly to the cob. In short, Astronomy Domine is a traditional New England sweet corn with added colors, and with the relatively low diversity typical of the northern flint race from which it is derived. The "Hopi Blue Flour Corn" that I crossed to get Darth's seed has been commercialized and inbred so it was also quite uniform. However... The other Hopi corns that I grew were much more variable: Hopi Pink flour, and Anasazi sweet. These come from the Mexican Highlands race of corn, and being closer geographically to the center of diversity of corn, and not having been commercialized, they are much more variable. I am currently working on projects to incorporate genes from the Mexican Highlands race and the Andean race into Astronomy Domine. |
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